Well, that's it for today. Thanks for your emails: Matthew Wegner's poentially lethal 'Biffit' golf trainer remains in pole position as the shoddiest Christmas present. Will he be topped tomorrow? Will England make a fight of it? Join me at midnight to find out.

34th over: England 97-3 (Hussain 17, Dawson 0) In the last over before stumps, Australia, sensing a kill, crowd the bat with close fielders. But no more blood is spilled today, as MacGill's over is safely negotiated.

33rd over: England 94-3 (Hussain 14, Dawson 0) Dawson is sent in as a night-watchman - and should have been on his way back again, when he is rapped on the pads by a ball that pitched on middle and would have hit middle.

WICKET! England 94-3 Butcher lbw b Gillespie 25 Did someone suggest that Butcher was playing a risky game by wandering so far across his stumps? Gillespie thuds one into his pads bang in front. The only problem is that Butcher got a huge inside edge on it. He joins the swear-fest as he wanders off, cursing the world.

32nd over: England 94-2 (Butcher 25, Hussain 14) And a maiden from MacGill, who directs some choice vocab at Hussain.

30th over: England 94-2 (Butcher 25, Hussain 14) More drama. Hussain clips MacGill in the air to mid-on, where the ball bounces out of Gillespie's hands. But it looks like his fingers are still between turf and ball when he grabs it again. Hussain stands his ground in what is becoming a familiar scene in this series and, after much mucking about, the third unpire gives it not out. The Australians are absolutely livid, and it did look like a clean catch.

29th over: England 92-2 (Butcher 24, Hussain 13) Short stuff from Lee; when he finally pitches one up, he finds Butcher's edge but the ball drops short of second slip.

'Revolver' may not be Andy Walsh's favourite Beatles' album but he suggests that it accurately reflects the state of the English team selection.

27th over: England 90-2 (Butcher 23, Hussain 13) After his roughing-up in Lee's last over, Nasser punches back. A cover-drive for three and a pull for two are followed up by a violent swiveling hook for four.

25th over: England 78-2 (Butcher 20, Hussain 4) A fascinating scrap between Lee and Hussain is developing, and, so far, it looks like there will only be one winner. Lee begins with a no-ball, which delights the Barmy Army, who seem to be taking solace in the belief that Lee is a chucker. Hussain then edges over the slips for four, before Lee hits the England captain on the shoulder as he aims a desperate swipe.

24th over: England 73-2 (Butcher 20, Hussain 0) MacGill bowls a maiden to Butcher, who looks a bit creaky but is no doubt delighted to be at this end.

23rd over: England 73-2 (Butcher 20, Hussain 0) Lee is convinced that he has Hussain out second ball, in excatly the same manner as he got Trescothich. But umpire Tiffin thinks it came off the forearm. It's very hard to tell whether he's right or not.

WICKET! England 73-2 Trescothick c Gilchrist b Lee 37 Trescothick simply can't get out of the way of a shortish ball quickly enough. He gets a glove as he tries to drop his hands and Gilchrist takes a simple catch.

21st over: England 72-1 (Trescothick 37, Butcher 19) Lee bowls a rapid maiden. Butcher is hit by one that should have bounced higher than it did. That doesn't bode well for England's chances of saving the match. The Barmy Army's chanting is now a wall of sound. They seem more concerned with a man in a Pink-Panther suit than the cricket. Whilst we're dealing with the irrelevant, any thoughts on the best Beatles album?

18th over: England 61-1 (Trescothick 33, Butcher 14) Four more for Trescothick - yet another cut, this time off MacGill. Butcher's running between the wickets continues to tread the tightrope between the cheeky and the reckless.

17th over: England 53-1 (Trescothick 27, Butcher 13) Trescothick canes two short balls from Lee through point and they scorch the ground before slamming into the fence. Lee responds with a searing bouncer from round the wicket. This is marvellous stuff. Thanks for all your cricket-related emails; does anyone have any pointless trivia to help me get through my last hour and a bit?

16th over: England 45-1 (Trescothick 19, Butcher 13) An action-packed MacGill over. Trescothick hoists him high into the stands over wide mid-on, then cuts a short ball for four. That consistency in line and lebgth - or lack of it - is the difference between MacGill and Warne. MacGill does, however, spin his leg-break at least as far as Warnie - as he proves with one that turns about eight inches and beats the keeper for four byes.

15th over: England 33-1 (Trescothick 8, Butcher 13) Having just said that the pitch looks hard and true, Brett Lee immediately produces one that keeps low when he replaces McGrath. The ball cannons into Butcher's pads but it pitched way outside leg and Lee's Lillee-esque appeal is turned down.

14th over: England 32-1 (Trescothick 7, Butcher 13) Sure enough, MacGill replaces Gillespie. MacGill took 40 wickets in six matches for Nottinghamshire this year, but also got some tap during odd spells when he dropped short. He trundles in much quicker than Warne and finds a little turn off a pitch which still seems hard and true. But his last ball is pulled down short, allowing Butcher to cut for four.

12th over: England 25-1 (Trescothick 6, Butcher 8) Just a single off Gillespie, who, with his beard and his pointy nose, looks more demon-like than ever.

11th over: England 24-1 (Trescothick 6, Butcher 7) Butcher punches McGrath off his toes through mid-wicket, and scrambles through for an all-run four. But he's playing a risky game: that was taken from middle-and-off and if he'd missed it would have been plumb in front.

10th over: England 19-1 (Trescothick 6, Butcher 2) Part of the reason Australia's bowlers look more threatening than England's is that they are bowling a fuller length, Which sometimes means you get driven down the ground for four, as Gillespie is here - by Trescothick.

9th over: England 15-1 (Trescothick 2, Butcher 2) Butcher is cut in half by McGrath's second ball, which nips back off the seam. Without doing anything spectacular, Australia already look more likely to take wickets than England ever did.

Meanwhile, Chris Fenner in Melbourne replies to Gavan Ianao's demands for a more Machiavellian approach from England:

8th over: England 15-1 (Trescothick 2, Butcher 2) Another Gillespie maiden. Trescothick's feet might not be moving but at least he seems to have a better idea of what to play and what to leave thanm earlier in the series.

7th over: England 15-1 (Trescothick 2, Butcher 2) Butcher, after a meagre return in the series so far, gets off the mark with a punch down the ground. The Barmy Army break into a desperate chorus of 'Rule Britannia'.

WICKET! England 13-1 Vaughan b McGrath 11 Vaughan is caught half-forward after the short stuff in McGrath's last over. Prodding defensively, the ball takes the inside-edge cannons into off stump

"Paul - you're doing a great job." Cheers Peter. "I'm an Aussie living in New York. Sounds like you think Steve Waugh looked pretty average by comparison with Love - and this was his best outing this series. On batting alone, would he keep his place in the side?" It'd come down to picking one from Waugh and Lehmann when he returns. Love looked rock solid.

5th over: England 11-0 (Trescothick 0, Vaughan 11) Amazingly McGrath bowls four big bouncers and one long-hop outside off stump - despatched for four by Vaughan. McGrath bowls an over like that about as often as Norman Tebbit dons a red rosette.

3rd over: England 5-0 (Trescothick 0, Vaughan 5) McGrath's immaculate line strays for his last ball and Vaughan is able to crash a cut through point for four. But England will need a few more of those before to give themselves a chance of a draw. And McGrath knows it, simply turning, unconcerned, and collecting his hat from the umpire.

2nd over: England 1-0 (Trescothick 0, Vaughan 1) Vaughan could easily have been out as Gillespie finds the spilce and the ball balloons to short-cover. But there's no-one there, largely because most of the Australians are in the slips.

1st over: England 0-0 (Trescothick 0, Vaughan 0) Trescothick plays out a McGrath maiden in his distinctive, upright, leaden-footed, heavy-batted style, which, when it produces runs, is praised as refreshingly simple, and when it doesn't, is condemned as 'lumpen'.